Royals Drop Devil Rays 7-6 in 10 Innings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Ruben Gotay hit an RBI grounder in the 10th inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-6 Wednesday.

Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella was ejected in the second by plate umpire Mike Winters for arguing balls and strikes. After being tossed, Piniella came out of the dugout, argued briefly with Winters, and then proceeded to kick dirt three times onto the plate.

Piniella has been ejected twice his season and 56 times as a manager. He has been thrown out 70 times overall during his major league career.

David DeJesus homered and drove in three runs for the Royals. Tampa Bay’s Matt Diaz hit his first major league homer.

Calvin Pickering opened the 10th with a double off Jorge Sosa (4-6) and pinch-runner Wilton Guerrero went to third on Desi Relaford’s sacrifice bunt. After Dee Brown was hit by a pitch, Guerrero scored on Gotay’s grounder to short.

Mike MacDougal (1-1) worked a scoreless ninth. Jeremy Affeldt pitched the 10th for his 13th save in 16 opportunities.

Kansas City starter Darrell May didn’t figure in the decision and remains one loss away from tying Paul Splittorf’s team record of 19 set in 1974. May, who is 9-18, gave up five runs and eight hits over six innings. He is winless in seven starts, including six losses.

The announced crowd at Tropicana Field was 8,392. The actual turnout appeared to be between 1,000 and 2,000.

The start time Wednesday was moved up from 7:15 p.m. to 12:15 because the Devil Rays will travel to New York to make up a postponed date Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay will then return home to open a three-game series Friday with Toronto.

DeJesus homered and Pickering had an RBI double to put the Royals up 2-0 in the first.

Tampa Bay starter Doug Waechter was pulled after walking three straight batters to start the second. He gave up three runs, three hits and three walks in one-plus innings.

John Halama replaced Waechter and allowed just one run to score in the second, which came on DeJesus’ double-play grounder that made it 3-0.

Damian Rolls’ two-run double in the second, and a sacrifice fly by Rocco Baldelli one inning later tied it at 3.

Aubrey Huff gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead with an RBI single in the fifth.

DeJesus hit a two-run single and Joe Randa had an RBI grounder that put the Royals ahead 6-4 in the sixth.

Diaz hit a solo shot in the sixth and Jose Cruz Jr. had a seventh-inning RBI single to pull Tampa Bay even at six-all.

Notes:@ Piniella had originally planned to spend what was the Devil Rays’ final off-day of the season Thursday on his boat, the 7th Inning Stretch. “I was really looking forward to going fishing tomorrow,” Piniella said. “I really was. The one-day road trip is hard. You fly in and you fly out.” … Royals SS Angel Berroa left the game with a bruised left shoulder blade in the third, one inning after being hit by a pitch from Halama. He is day-to-day.